Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Iraq snapshot

Tuesday, December 22, 2015. Chaos and violence continue, Ramadi is supposedly on the verge of liberation or 'liberation,' Hillary Clinton's desire for a no-fly zone over Syria gets a robust reply, and much more.

What I'm trying to say isIt's time To get in the wayIt's crazy That this thing is still going onI can't believeThis thing's still going on And it goesNa na na na na na I hate the warNa na na na na na I hate the warNa na na na na naI hate the war
-- "I Hate The War" (written by Greg Goldberg, on The Ballet's Mattachine!)

This morning on CNN, reciter Barbara Starr made an ass out of herself with a recitation of factoids about Iraq which included 500 Islamic State fighters were thought to be holed up in Ramadi and that Haider al-Abadi, prime minister of Iraq, had amassed 10,000 troops to take them on as the Iraqi forces finally may be about to enter Ramadi (the last five months have been non-stop failure for them in this mission). [In a report on CNN in the afternoon, she dropped the number of Islamic State fighters in Ramadi to 350.] She failed to note how ridiculous the odds yet again were -- 20 Iraqi forces for ever Islamic State member and though she was eager to note that there was resistance in Iraq to US forces, she failed to pin down where that resistance comes from.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has signaled to the US government
that he himself is willing to have US forces on the ground in combat.
He's also said this would be a hard sell.

Why?

Kurds?

Are the Kurds wanting the US out of Iraq?

Nope.

Okay, then the Sunnis?

Nope.

The Sunnis have been wanting more US involvement for years now.

The why of that goes to the hard sell.

Sunnis have argued more US involvement could end the persecution of the Sunnis.

Persecution by whom?

Hard line, radical Shi'ites.

Such as the one who leads the Bard terrorists -- popularly referred to as the Badr militia or Badr brigade.

(And let's all pretend we've never heard of the Badr brigade's death squads.)

I don't want US troops on the ground in Iraq.

And reasons for that desire include that this is Iraq's battle and the
US government needs to stay out of it (and stop propping up the figure
head government that they have imposed).

But Shi'ites like Bard terrorist leader Hadi al-Amiri don't want US forces on the ground for a different reason.

Their actions in 'liberated' areas have been destructive -- to put it mildly.

They have carried out attacks on Sunni civilians in the name of
'revenge' (the Islamic State is a Sunni organization). They have burned
Sunni homes, they have looted.

Badr—founded in the 1980s in Iran, its
continued supporter—is not only the most important of the various armed
groups composing the Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd). It also
symbolizes how Iraqis’ hopes for a democratic country governed by the
rule of law have given way to a political system that is expressly
sectarian and increasingly resembles a garrison state. No other
militia-political party was better prepared to capitalize on the
collapse of Iraqi security forces in northern Iraq last June. Badr’s
military commander, Ameri—who tried and failed to get an appointment as
minister of defense or interior, in part due to U.S. opposition—has been
transportation minister since Maliki’s second cabinet and is now a
parliamentarian. Under the new government of Haider al-Abadi, Ameri was
able to get a member of his party, Mohammed Salem al-Ghabban, confirmed
as interior minister. Prior to leaving office, Maliki had made Ameri the
military governor of Diyala—an informal appointment usually described
euphemistically as al-masuul al-amani (the security official)—which he remains to this day.Ameri, now on leave from parliament, has captured far more renown in
his militia commander role than he ever did as a cabinet minister. In
October 2014, Ameri was often described as the “leader”
of the militia-led offensive to subdue Jurf al-Sakhr, a mostly Sunni
area south of Baghdad, and consolidate Shia control around the capital.
By February 2015 Badr had secured Diyala, whose narrow Sunni Arab
majority is nestled between Baghdad and Iran. Badr and other militias
sustained criticism that they were engaging in retribution attacks and
attempting to cleanse the Sunni population from these areas. But the
ministry of human rights—also held by a Badrist, Mohammed Mahdi
al-Bayati—sent a senior official to speak at Badr’s February 16 celebration of their victory in Diyala and defend the conduct of the Badr-led Hashd.Ameri’s military preeminence continued in March with the launch of
the operation to liberate Tikrit and northern Salahuddin. Iran, through
Badr, initially played more of a role in the offensive than Iraqi
leaders did, and photos of the infamous Quds Force commander Qassem
Soleimani sometimes appeared alongside Ameri himself, dominating media
coverage. Yet the militia-led offensive was forced to step back from
Tikrit to let the U.S.-led international coalition conduct airstrikes
against dug-in jihadis, allowing the formal security services—army and
federal police—to lead the liberation of the city. Although Prime
Minister Abadi initially held back the militias in Anbar out of fear of
sectarian conflict, he gave way after the security forces defending the
provincial capital of Ramadi collapsed on May 17. Ameri promptly took
the lead as “field commander” of the new Anbar offensive, only to decide
in early June—apparently entirely on his own—to shift focus to
Fallujah, which lies between Ramadi and Baghdad.

David Muir: Now to new fall out after our ABC investigation last
night. It involves the fight against ISIS known for those awful videos,
lining up their victims on the beach. And now a new concern. Are some
of the Iraqi forces -- trained and paid for by US taxpayers -- using
techniques that are just as brutal? Well the State Dept tonight
responding to our report and ABC's chief investigative reporter Brian
Ross back on the job tonight.

Brian Ross: The State Dept called these scenes today serious and
disturbing. Brutal images of what appear to be Iraqi forces and militias
carrying out, celebrating, torture and beheadings. In this torture
scene, two US weapons against the wall. This video shows two civilians,
pleading for their lives, about to be shot dead. A man with an American
supplied weapon walks by, a gunman with what appears to be the insignia
of Iraqi Special Forces caught on tape.

US State Dept spokesperson Jen Psaki: Their behavior must be above
reproach or they risk being painted with the same brush as ISIL
fighters.

Brian Ross: The Pentagon says it has already cut off money to some
Iraqi units because of gross human rights violations. But Senator
Patrick Leahy says the ABC News report shows the government should cut
off money to more Iraqi units.

Senator Patrick Leahy: When you look at at the videos and look at the
uniforms being worn, do we really want to say the US condones that?

Brian Ross: US officials tonight tell ABC News that America's top
military leader Gen Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs,
has repeatedly warned Iraqi leaders about the conduct of the Iraqi
military and the militias that fight with them -- especially because the
US is sending $1.5 billion to the Iraqi army and almost 3,000 American
troops to help train them.

So where was the call for the White House to stop supporting War Crimes?

Where was the call for the White House to stop looking the other way?

Thirteen days ago, ABC News first reported that.

ABC News was reporting on them much to the displeasure of the White House -- and then the story was disappeared.

Jake Tapper: Congresswoman Gabbard, thanks for joining me. ISIS took control of Ramadi in May, as you know, that was an embarrassing defeat for the Iraqi army. If Iraqi forces do succeed in retaking Ramadi this time around, are you confident that this time they can keep ISIS out?

US House Rep Tulsi Gabbard: Jake, I think it's too early to tell, quite frankly. I think a lot's going to depend upon how the people there are treated by the occupying forces that will remain there after this battle is won And that's a key thing that we've got to focus on here because we've seen in previous battles, as you've mentioned, with other cities, where the battle has been won but you've seen how the sectarian tensions have been completely gotten in the way, how the people there in these Sunni communities were persecuted and it allowed the space for ISIS to come back in and take over.Jake Tapper: The Pentagon says that the only role the US military is playing in this attempt to retake Ramadi is air support. Should US troops being doing more? Maybe on the ground hunting and killing ISIS fighters?US House Rep Tulsi Gabbard: Well I think generally what I have long called for is having these hubs throughout the region in different places where our special forces can operate from and conduct quick strike attacks against ISIS, al Qaeda and these other Islamic, extremist groups there in Iraq. It's going to be critical -- especially in these Sunni communities that you empower the Sunni tribes -- that you equip them and you arm them so that they can fight these fights and then, more importantly for the longterm, that you have a plan in place to govern and secure these territories. And this is why I've long called for a three-state solution -- arming and empowering the Kurds in the north, the Sunnis and the Shia, and having some form of a three-state semi-autonomous or autonomous region. And I think similar is what's needed in Syria as well.Jake Tapper: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, during the Democratic debate, we are where we need to be in the fight against ISIS. Are we?US House Rep Tulsi Gabbard: I would heartily disagree with that. We've got a strategy that's being executed that frankly doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I've been calling for an end to the counter-productive, illegal war to overthrow the Syrian government of Asad and very clearly talking about how dangerous a no-fly zone in Syria would be. We heard the President talk the other day about his opposition to a no-fly zone but at the same time we've heard from many of our presidential candidates how they're advocating for a no-fly zone. I don't see how your head can be screwed on straight if you're pushing for a no-fly zone. When we hear people like Chris Christie and Marco Rubio saying that they would shoot down a Russian plane that violates that no-fly zone kicking off a US - Russia war, kicking off an escalation to a world war or a nuclear war. This is something that points to a very important issue which is the fact that our political leaders are not operating with a military mindset. This is something that I and other young officers in the military learn early on in the military and that is that before you go out and execute a certain course of action, you've got to look at what are the consequences? How will your enemy -- or other actors -- react to that course of action? And, once they react, how will you -- what will your response to that be? And then what will their response to that be? And continue to go down the line, layer by layer. So if you look at what's happening in the Middle East now, the mess that we're in today, can be pointed directly, starting with the Bush administration, continuing today, with that lack of military mindset, that lack of foresight -- whether you're talking about overthrowing Saddam in Iraq, Qaddafi in Libya, the Arab Spring, [Hosni] Mubarak in Egypt and now Assad in Syria.

Gabbard noted the persecution of the Sunnis.

Why can't Starr?

Today, Daniel Victor (NEW YORK TIMES) notes, "A new Miss Iraq was crowned in Baghdad for the first time since 1972 in a
contest that faced fierce conservative opposition as well as reported
death threats against some participants."

The Miss Iraq beauty pageant has been held for the first
time in over 40 years, despite death threats and the dangers of Islamic
State.Shaima Qassem Abdelrahman, 20, became the first woman to
claim the title since the first and last Miss Iraq contest took place in
1972. The economics student from Kirkuk is now eligible to represent
the country at the Miss Universe contest.

That's more than worth noting.

Both for the risks involved for all the contestants.

For the "X" is puts on the back of the winner Shaima Qassem Abdelrahman.

The pageant website and its Facebook page
were inundated with death threats against the women -- so much so that
the nearly 200 participants dropped to less than 10.

In
the end, Qasim, 20, an economics major at the University of Kirkuk,
received her crown to the applause of a supportive audience cheering her
on for prevailing against the odds.

It's a big moment.

And it takes a big moron to mess it up.

It takes an idiot -- in fact, it takes a lot of idiots. Hello, Mycah Hazel whose stupidity is republished by HUFFINGTON POST (where else) as she argues that Miss Iraq is a bold slap in the face of ISIS:Nevertheless, the 2015 Miss Iraq competition proves not only that there
is potential for an Iraq that is above violence but that there are
already Iraqi women promoting and working towards this goal, by
representing their country even amidst threats of death.
There are people beyond government leaders who are seeking to defeat
ISIS, not with bombs, but with smiles of Iraqi pride -- smiles of
stronger caliber than any AK-47.

Here's a clue for Baby Cum Pants Hazel, next time stop using Iraq to whore for the Democratic Party. You're need to bring up the GOP only
demonstrates your gross ignorance.

As does your xenophobic and condescending statements about Iraqi "pride."

Baby Cum Pants Hazel needs to grasp that Iraq was a haven in the region when it came to women's rights -- before the US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein.

She also needs to grasp that the US government put in charge Shi'ite thugs -- intentionally, a country in shock can't fight back -- who decimated women's rights. That the prime minister until 2014, Nouri al-Maliki, appeased his Shi'ite thugs by refusing to nominate a single woman to his January 2011 cabinet of ministers.

She needs to grasp that the women he did embrace spoke out against women's rights and tried to impose dress codes.

She needs to grasp that Iraqi women have been fighting not only bullets and bombs, but the US-led destruction of their rights.

And, guess what, Baby Cum Pants Hazel?

None of the above -- nor the beatings and rapes Iraqi women endured in prisons under Nouri al-Maliki -- was carried out by the Islamic State.

So buy a clue and sit your tired ass down.

You thought you had something to share.

You didn't.

Next time, grasp that Iraqi women are strong and don't deserve your xenophobia or your attempts to use them as pawns to attack the Republican Party.

Before you compose more slash fiction for the Democratic Party, you damn well better grasp that Iraqi women have been fighting the US occupation's attacks on their rights for years now. They've taken to the streets to do so. If that's surprising to you, maybe it goes to your own inherent weakness.

Today, the US Defense Dept announced:

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, fighter, bomber, and
remotely piloted aircraft conducted 17 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with
and in support of the Iraqi government:

-- Near Fallujah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a bomb-making facility and wounded two ISIL fighters.

-- Near Ramadi, six strikes struck
two separate ISIL tactical units, denied ISIL access to terrain,
wounded two ISIL fighters and destroyed four ISIL command and control
nodes, four ISIL weapons caches, two ISIL buildings, and an ISIL vehicle
bomb.

Task force officials define a
strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same
geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect.
Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single
weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is a strike, but so is multiple
aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and
weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect
of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use.
Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of
aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each
strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a
target.

Last week, US war planes bombed (and killed) Iraqi forces -- by mistake. And today? REUTERS reports, "About 20 people, including at least 12 civilians, were killed on Monday
in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, in two air strikes that destroyed
houses believed to be used by Islamic State militants, six eyewitnesses
and a medical source said."

About Me

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